Final Major Project

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Ok so I have completely negelected my blog.....slap on the wrist! However I have had a complete mental block with this project which I am happy to say I have now cleared! I have spent the whole of my Easter break thinking, sometimes enough to make my head explode but it is both surprising and frightening to think that a project requires this much head room. I spent a whole day recently revising music notation, just to understand what symbols go where on a music score, a whole day taking my sketchbook apart and writing reflective notes and then a whole evening playing with latex gloves and cement!I couldn't see where I was heading with this motley assortment of ideas but I am glad to say I now have the inkling of an idea. As you will see from the picture I did eventually find a way of plotting a guitar chord in a three dimensional space but got to a dead end with this as I felt it didn't push the boundaries of my work enough.

After much thought and a couple of nights of interrupted sleep I sat down with Richard and discussed the whole project from start to finish. Doing this made say what I was looking for 'out loud' and I discovered what I am trying to convey is an interpretation of musical score into a more three dimensional, physical display. Richard and I batted a few ideas about (he is such a good sounding board (pardon the pun)) I took a series of photographs showing his hand as he plays the chord.

I also took a series without the guitar fret board in his hand which led me to the idea of making 'hands' out of plaster to embelish or hold part of a sculpture. I realised that I did not know how to take a cast of a whole hand, so spent a mad evening with Richard mixing up cement, filling a latex glove and then using masking tape to manipulate the fingers while it dried!! As you can see the results were not spectacular as it became a little too 'gorilla' like....

So! I have spent most of this weekend reading up on life casting and the do's and don'ts of how to achieve realistic casts so the casting alginate is on order, the plaster of paris now purchased and will be hunting around university tomorrow for some plaster bandage - I am finally excited about this ......

Monday, 8 March 2010

Had a really great tutorial today as was getting myself in a real tizzy about where my research was heading but my tutor has assured me today that not everything has to be done in order! So starting tomorrow I will be putting together some preliminary 3d models of guitar chords. It sounds odd I know but Richard has been helping me to visualise how this will work and hopefully I will have some pictures to add to this blog by the end of the week.

Saturday, 6 March 2010

So, the first part of this project has been to brain storm some ideas which I have dutifully done based around the theme of 'Pattern, Communication and Interpretation'. I am thinking about the patterns that music notation creates coupled with it providing a set of instructions. I have been particularly looking at Beez's (Richard's) gutitar tabulation that he uses to decipher how to play a song. He has explained (at length ha ha) how to read it and I am slowly getting there but it is like learning a new language. I have to say I have not been right on top of the project this week as have spent most of it working but I am back to Uni on Monday so will throw myself right at it.

Sunday, 21 February 2010

So tomorrow is the first day of the FMP and although I have been thinking about it for the last few weeks, nothing much has materialised yet. I am looking forward to starting though and hope that the ideas start to come thick and fast or I'm going to be in big trouble. Hopefully you will all keep up to date with my blog as any ideas/comments would be most appreciated!

Monday, 8 February 2010

You always like to think that you're particularly computer literate but I have to confess this is my first ever blog. It started because of my latest venture - a one year course at the Arts University College Bournemouth - where for my final project of the year I have to produce evidence of a reflective journal of how the piece progresses. So the idea is that everyone can keep up with how I'm getting on and hopefully help with my piece but all the ideas are at the very early stages and more news will follow shortly......